


conflict

by demonbunny



Series: Road to Reconciliation [5]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bad timing for propositions, Dean and Seth only being decent because of Roman, Dean isn't letting it go that easily, Drunken Confessions, Episode Tag, Heavy Angst, Heavy Drinking, Hunter is nervous about messing up their relationship too, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M, Open Marriage, Seth is scared, Shield Reunion, Slow Burn, Unresolved Emotional Tension, angsty boys, but he's drunk and wants to make Roman happy, it surprises Seth and scares him instantly, set after Raw 02/25/19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 14:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17982851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonbunny/pseuds/demonbunny
Summary: It was nice- incredibly nice, something he could get used to. It was easy to drift asleep when he felt someone holding him so tightly.





	conflict

Another week backstage was becoming a mundane norm for Seth and he couldn’t deny he was antsy to get back into the ring.

He was parked in front of a monitor lingering close to the gorilla position. This night was a bit different from the usual and he was excited, practically squirming in his spot as he watched Roman making his return speech.

When he had arrived to the venue, Seth had been the one to greet him, hugging him tightly.

 _His brother was back_.

His eyes nearly welled up from excitement, thankful that at least Roman hadn’t changed in the last few months. Everything around him had changed so rapidly to where he could barely comprehend him. But he was thankful that Roman was still the ever present thing in his life.

Seth watched as he made his way down the ramp and without even thinking, his feet took him towards the Gorilla Position. The crew member in charge of the music quickly and clumsily played Seth’s theme as he made his way through the curtain.

His eyes met with Roman’s and he can’t help his wide smile, meeting him halfway and embracing him tightly.

Roman engulfed him tightly and his warmth seeped into Seth's bone, making him melt into him naturally.

“I love you man,” he couldn’t stop himself from mumbling against his shoulder. “I love you too,” he rumbled low, close to his ear, the smile clear in his voice.

They went backstage together and Seth didn’t hesitate with wrapping his arms around Roman’s shoulders, immediately following him to his personal dressing room.

“So, a hell of a lot happened while I was gone. You wanna fill me in on everything?” He asked as he came to sit on a bench. Seth stopped, standing in front of him and letting out a long sigh.

“Okay- I guess we should start at the beginning,” he doesn’t really want to. But he owed an explanation to Roman.

He told him everything from the breakup and the feud him and Dean had that ended incredibly short. He then mentioned his reconciliation with Hunter and how Dean wasn’t for it and finished off with how he was stuck out of action for a week or two more before he could start wrestling again.

Roman listened to him, not interrupting him as he explained everything. Once he finished he let out a long sigh. “Damn,” he started. “That’s a lot of shit, I’m gonna need a beer after all that.” Hearing that made Seth laugh heartily and he nodded. “I know- it’s a lot man,” his small smile fell into a grimace as he let out a long sigh.

“I’ll talk to Dean about everything too,” Seth repressed the whine when he said that but knew he couldn’t argue. Whenever Roman was around he was big on having all three of them work things out: one way or another.

But this time around, Seth was hesitant about it, not sure what to make of Dean’s most recent moves.

“If you can get through to him then that’d be good- more progress than I could ever make with him,” he sighed.

Roman stood and he rested both hands on his shoulders. “Have some faith in me, I’m good at talking to him,” he said, pulling him into another hug. Seth let out a sigh and he nodded his head, hugging him back. “You always had that gift,” he admitted, chuckling softly.

Roman laughed and he pulled back with a grin. “Now- I’m gonna go talk to him alright?”

Seth wasn’t too keen on joining him in that attempt, splitting up from him once they both walked out of his dressing room.

Seth walked down the hallways, distant voices rattling all around him.

He knew everyone was planning for Flair's birthday bash and Seth was just as excited as everyone else. But in his excitement, his mind wandered to Hunter and what he could possibly be doing.

Against his better judgement, he went out of his way to search for Hunter's temporary office for the night and stopped when he saw the name he was looking for.

He heard a couple of different voices and he knocked before he could stop himself, listening close to what sounded like Hunter and Stephanie. The voices paused and Stephanie’s muffled voice was the first thing that Seth heard.

“Huh- I wonder who that is?” It was a teasing tone that Seth could make out even with the door in between them.

The next thing he heard was a sigh from Hunter. “Come on, Steph, not tonight,” he said, trying to warn her. Seth's curiosity was peaked and he found himself leaning closer until his ear was pressed against the door.

“I’m just teasing Hunter,” Stephanie laughed. “Tonight is a night of celebrating after all, you should go ahead with it.”

Seth froze when he heard that and his mind immediately raced with a million possibilities.

_What could that mean?_

“Just don’t get involved,” he sajd.

Seth finally cleared his throat and knocked a second time to finally get someone to open it.

Stephanie opened the door and she grinned to Seth. “Seth- good seeing you again,” she said. “Hunter and I were just finishing up here, I’ll see you out at the celebration yeah?” The way she was so chipper threw Seth off, but he could only nod his head. “Of course I’ll be out therefor good ol' Ric,” he told her.

She patted him on the shoulder and walked off, giving Seth the chance to slip into the office, closing the door behind him. He finally turned to face Hunter.

“Hey,” he greeted a bit shyly, cheeks flushing, giving away that he had been listening in on them. Hunter stopped and he looked at Seth for a long moment before letting out a small chuckle. “You know it’s rude to snoop,” he said, reading Seth like he was an open book.

Seth ducked his head down and looked down at his chucks, shifting from foot to foot. “I- I couldn’t help it,” he immediately defended.

Hunter nodded his head and he stepped closer to him, resting a hand on the side of Seth's head, fingers sliding through his hair. Seth couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the touch.

“I was telling her about last week,” Hunter started and for the first time ever, he seemed hesitant and unsure. It was a rare sight that Seth hadn’t seen before.

“And she didn’t get mad- was surprisingly good with it.” That left Seth a bit confused and he just blinked at him, silent.

It took him a moment to process everything and he licked his lips. “So- she basically approved to you having a lover?” He asked, brows furrowing slightly. Hunter shrugged and seemed to struggle with his own words. “We are- we're open I guess you could say?”

Seth went silent once again and he thought it over.

One part of him was joyous and wanted to dive in head first, but the other part of him was reminded of Dean's words from last week.

_“It’s just gonna be history repeating itself”_

His lips parted in attempt to think it over. Because _fuck_ this wasn’t what he was expecting when he came to check in on Hunter.

“I- I’ll have to think about that one,” he sputtered out before he could stop himself, tensing and pulling back from his touch. “I- I gotta go do an interview,” he said shakily before he turned around and bolted out of the office, his chest feeling tight.

He was panicked, that fear and doubt creeping up into his mind. Because there was no way in hell Hunter would want _him_  of all people.

He let his legs lead him through the different halls backstage, stuck in his thoughts. The feeling of him bumping into two bodies was what ended up snapping him out of his daze.

His head snapped up to see Roman and Dean standing together and Dean had a grin on his face.

“Hey, Princess,” he greeted, sounding like he used to, completely fine- like he was actually happy.

Seth's heart sped up impossibly more and he struggled to come up with any words. Dean's face dropped as soon as he took in Seth’s features, brows furrowing.

Roman seemed to read him just as easily too, brows furrowing similarly.

“What happened?” Dean asked.

“Do we gotta kick someone’s ass?” Roman chimed in.

A nervous laugh bubbled in his throat and escaped him and he tried his best to smile. “It's nothing,” he said.

“That definitely means it’s someone- is McIntyre fucking with you?” Dean demanded, like a pitbull ready to go into attack mode. Roman immediately had to set his hand on Dean's shoulder. “Ease up man,” he said immediately. “We're gonna get drinks after Dean's match, you in?”

Seth was quick to respond, nodding. “That sounds good to me, I got a segment to do soon though, I’ll catch up with you later,” he tried to focus mainly on Roman, still unsure about Dean, only sparing him a lingering glance.

Dean gave him a typical Dean-like smile with his tongue poking out between his teeth; Almost instantly he felt his heart speed up in reaction to it.

He tore his eyes away and he bit back his smile as he made his way back towards the gorilla position.

He was even more conflicted than before with Dean's change in attitude because somehow- _somehow_ Roman was able to turn it all around.

_Was he right about Hunter?_

He shook his head and quickly forced those thoughts away when Charley approached him with the cameras following her.

It was easy to put on a smile when talking about Roman’s return and he got through the interview easily. Easier than he expected.

The rest of the night seemed to pass in a blur to him, even when him and Roman both ran out to Dean’s aid from Drew and his band of idiots. The adrenaline was pumping through him and he was excited to be back in the ring with both of his brothers he still held close to his heart.

It was like nothing had changed and the last four months had disappeared.

At least in the moment.

And once they’re backstage, Dean was immediately hugging them and whooping. “Oh man, you guys kicked their asses, thank you for that!” He said. He first hugged Roman and then hugged Seth, embracing him tight and kissing his forehead.

Roman chuckled and patted his back lightly. “That’s what brothers do, man, don’t worry about it,” he assured Dean, noting the way Dean seemed to embrace Seth a little bit longer than what could be considered innocent. He also noticed the way Seth was leaning into it like it was natural.

This was more familiar territory to him, seeing his two brothers close and embracing.

Dean eventually parted from him and Seth had to try and compose himself, mentally cursing Dean. “Go shower-you stink,” he teased, playfully shoving at him.

As Dean turned around to walk off, Seth turned in that same direction and saw that Hunter was talking with Shawn and Stephanie. He was talking to them but his eyes were set on Dean who strolled past him with a shit eating grin on his face, patting Hunter’s shoulder in a passing greeting. Seth knew it was a move to piss him off and he could tell it worked.

His eyes locked with Hunter's and he felt like a deer in headlights, his throat thick was an onslaught of multiple emotions. He gulped and turned his attention to Roman quickly, putting on a smile.

“He told me he really missed you,” he started as he moved to rest a hand in between his shoulder blades, guiding Seth down the hallways. Seth let out a sigh and he nodded his head. “Well of course I miss him too,” he said. “But fuck- dude, he really hurt me when he pulled all the shit when you were gone,” he grimaced.

Roman sighed. “I know- I know he really fucked up when he did all that shit, but he wants to fix things before…before he’s gone,” he told him, tone sad, like he didn’t even want to admit that it would be happening.

Seth frowned when he mentioned it and his chest tightened at the idea. After seven years of knowing Dean, he wasn’t quite sure what it would be like to have him gone and out of his life.

“I…I guess that makes sense,” Seth said hesitantly, swallowing. Roman nodded his head and he didn’t push the subject further. Which Seth was thankful for.

Soon enough the three of them are dressed and ready to leave, Dean bouncing on his feet, endlessly energetic, smiling to them like all was well again.

And maybe it was.

For the moment at least.

 _Until he leaves_ , the voice in his head supplied immediately.

Seth had to try and force those thoughts aside as they drove to the closest bar. It was their usual set up with Seth driving while Dean was riding shotgun and Roman was stretched out in the back.

Roman and Dean filled the silence with easy conversation while Seth kept his focus on driving.

At certain points in time he felt Dean’s eyes burning a hole into his temple and Seth tried to avoid looking into his eyes knowing he was all too easy to read.

Which was a blessing and a curse.

When they got to the bar, Roman ordered beers for all of them, insisting it was his treat to his best friends.

Seth ended up sitting in between Roman and Dean and Seth couldn’t deny it felt _incredibly_ awkward.

The awkwardness quickly vanished once they got a good amount of alcohol in their systems and Dean had his arm around Seth, leaning in close to him after his fourth glass of whiskey.

“You know- I really love you- never loved anyone before,” he slurred and Seth was thankfully loose and relaxed from the alcohol, just listening to him with a wide, dreamy eyed look. It felt too much like old times and he was thankful for it. He was thankful he wasn’t tense.

He slipped his arm around Dean’s waist. “I love you too- I love you but you're an asshole,” he chuckled. That made Dean let out a hearty laugh and he nodded. “I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t,” he said, tipping his glass to him.

They downed more shots and Dean’s lips became looser with each passing moment. “I- I don’t think you should be with that old man,” he said, finally speaking on the subject that had been lingering between the two. Seth blinked at him, brows furrowed slightly. But that didn’t seem to stop Dean, he kept rambling.

“You- you’re young and hot and he’s just- bored and looking for fun,” he waved his hands animatedly as he spoke, words slurring.

Seth was quiet and he let out a snort and shook his head. “Man- I- I dunno- it is like history but-“ he shrugged as he finished his drink. “He’s fucking great-,” his mind immediately went to Hunter and the way he smiled at Seth like he was a rare gem amongst rubble.

 _Fuck_ , he loved that smile.

Dean frowned at that and shook his head. “It's just a trick,” he said. Roman hummed, cutting in before Seth could formulate any response. “Deannn,” he groaned looking at him from the other side of Seth. “Told ya to not pull this,” he said. “He’s a big boy that can handle himself,” he tried to assure the blonde as he patted Seth's back.

Dean pouted and he rolled his eyes at that, grumbling incoherently. “I guess,” he huffed.

There was a long pause of silence and they quickly switched to a different subject.

It all started to become a blur to Seth who was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. He now had his mind focused on one thing and one thing solely.

Which is why he found himself wandering to a certain hotel room once the three of them had parted ways.

Thankfully Hunter had told him the number earlier in casual conversation between the two. Which only seemed normal due to how close they had gotten recently.

He stumbled on jelly legs and knocked at the door once he got to the right room and he leaned against the door frame, feeling like he might fall to his feet any second now.

The door opened and revealed Hunter in a pair of sweatpants and a black wife beater.

 _Damn he looked good_.

He stumbled forward with a giggle and quickly moved to clutch onto Hunter. “Hi,” he greeted. “I missed you tonight,” he slid to fully embrace him, leaning into him.

Hunter seemed to immediately know what was going on and wrapped his arms around him, steering him inside and closing the door behind him. “I missed you too,” he said, kissing Seth’s head affectionately before cupping his jaw and making Seth look up at him.

When their eyes locked, Seth flushed and he bit his lip. “Don’t- Don’t hurt me,” he said, softening. “I’ve gotten my heart broken a lot before,” he gulped.

Hunter stopped for a moment and he frowned as he said that and he shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, voice low. It made Seth's throat thick with emotional and he kept his eyes turned down.

“Good- because I really like you,” he said lowly.

“I like you too,” Hunter was quick to reassure him.

Hearing that made Seth smile slightly and he nuzzled into Hunter’s shoulder, lips brushing over the bulging muscles there, showering a few kisses there.

Before he could do anything else, Hunter curled a hand in Seth’s hair and tugged, pulling his head up for their eyes to meet again. It drew a whine out of him and he squirmed in his spot.

“Nah uh, we're talking tomorrow morning,” he decided for them. “And we’re gonna go from there, okay?”

Seth had a pout on his face but nodded, knowing there was no room for argument.

“Good boy,” Hunter said, fingers softening in his hair and massaging his scalp. It made Seth keen softly, relaxing even more against him. “Now- let’s get you into bed,” he gave him a soft kiss on the lips before steering him to the king sized bed.

He easily helped Seth out of his shoes, jeans and t-shirt, tucking him under the covers. He then set the trash can next to his side of the bed and set out a cup of water with Tylenol on the bedside table.

Seth simply watched him with droopy eyes and he felt himself smiling at how sweet he was for what he was doing.

It wasn’t long before Hunter was climbing into the bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around Seth from behind, properly spooning him.

It was nice- incredibly nice, something he could get used to. It was easy to drift asleep when he felt someone holding him so tightly. 


End file.
